New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-17

con.corentIv long before rhe Mcxicans conld be
m AIDE TO understand that the taking OF horses was
ssrious offence. even though hundreds OF the So
called ersasers were hanged for il
The miuing-eamp yigilantes were always prone
20 ron fsady practices and NOS seldom ther
irupstiencc with the forms OF law I'D them into IT
re,uiarities which degraded their into mob
outrages Thus on many occasions when jury
hsd been deputed to try thief or murderer and
fouud II difficult to reach verdict, their delisera
t;ons were broken IN upon by the announcement in
a casual way that they might as well finish at once,
as the prisoner bad already been hanged. Take
your time gentlemen" one jury s said TO have been
addressed, "only please to remember that we want
this room to lay the corpse out in" The Nigi-
lautes however, did not for long time succeed IN
establishing order and safety outside their own
precincts. The highways we're dangerous, especial
" for solitary travellers and owing TO the strong
combinations among the criminals even parties OF
five or six, though well armed, were sometimes
overpowered by the brigands. In every camp there
were sharp eyes on the watch for the outGo OF eod
The periods when clean-ups' wero made were
known to all the rasess in the neighborbood, and
when large quantities of dust TO be dispatched
either by express and stage or Ivy private hands
it was necessary to make ample provision Tor tue
protection of the treasure. Many miners preferred
to carry their own gold. and numbers paid for Their
tenerity with their lives. The crimes committed
in the camps were those which were bruited aDout
bnt there vas probably no trail OF road leading out
of the mines any There which was not Mt some time
the scene Of ambushes assassnations and piurder-
inas. Perhaps for every vanished man KNOWN TO
have fallen under knife or pistol or disease in those
days there wero two concerning whom the vague
word missing was all that could be said Suoh
m one was known to have started for Sacramento
Can Fran
that coald he learned subsequently was that no
never reached his destination. There were no de-
tective police outside Of San Francisco and few
police anywhere who could be depended upon.
Neither did men care greatly about these Things
the excitement too strong, the work to be done
was too hard. Miners would leave their claims to
assist in hanging because they argued that 1t was
necessary for mutual protection; bat few OF them
would quit work to follow q trail, however not,
and the community feeling was yet zoo feeble TO
neite 10 Organized action between different camps
The impartia!ity OF Mr. Bancroft is usually con-
spicuous but In one instance we had it impossible
to agree with him. In relating the DownievilIe
tragedyr-when young Mexican woman stabbed
and killed a burIy MINER who in q drunken spree
hal kicked in the door of her house. and very pos
sibiy may have nsulted her moro hagrantly-the
historian speaks of the mob VINO hanged her as
manly men," Now il appears TO US that the deed
was essentially and distinctly nnmanly; that 1t was
cowardly brutal cruel and every thing that is base,
IL can aad ferociDus As for asserting moreover that
men capab,eof whetting their appetite for break
fast by tho butchery OF . rancheria OF natives"
could be manly" the remark, If not meant to be
ironical, strikes us as meaningless. Certainly
shocking abnses were perpetrated uDon California
Indians from time TO time, but INTERPRETATIONS de-
serve only to he termed cowardly scOundrels. In
the case Of Juanita there not, rs Mr. Bancroft
himself states anything like fair play The trial.
he SAVE was a sad, 'one-sided affair." In which tere
was n oial absence of that love OF fair play so
characteristic of the American miner. No one dared
to say good word for her; no one was allowed to
defend her. In so far "a she was small and weak
aud they were many and great and strong, ID so
far dill their inseusate fury intensity with tho
rosress Of affairs" Surely this is not picture Of
manly deeds Surely 1t is description of as fierce
aud infamous a mob murder rs history ever re-
corded Indeed Juanita's execu.ioners were clearly
not a.vigilance Committee out mob, and mob Is
the basest most conscienceess. most brutal aggre-
CATION into which humanity can be thrown. Ii Is
society stripped of every virtae, every moral con-
ylction, every restraint: degraded far below tbs
level of the Feast possessed. Ia no hgurativc
sease of devils merciess pitiless, blind and deaf
to everything but the ravening last OF murder and
destruction. What mahgn magnetism flows through
and deforms mob 1t 10 not given to any one To
know but that in these mysterious frenzies human
creatu res of whatever and stage of civilization
do IN effect put of their manhood and become rag
ing hoInicda maniacs for tue time being. is unfort
unately beyond dispute. And between the justice
OF the Vigilance Committee aad the injustice * the
mob there was in those turbulent times even q thin
ner 'partitio titan divides the bounds between
genius and madness-
The GOODNESS with which. as rule, this despera-
does sentenced to death by Vigilance Committees
met their fate, shows that they were in measure
consistent, putting no more value on their own
lives tina upon those of Others How little they
put upon the lives Of others s.nge illustration Will
indicate al feel devilish and must kill somebody
tuned Justin Arajo 40 he sat in store at san
Juan, Monterey County, about noon the 18th OF
July, 1877. Going to the door he saw some one
standng by the post Office. /" That mans my meat"
he said, and drawing his pistol. shot him through
the bart killing him instantly. Another man shot
a miner whom he had never seen before through
the head bee ause his victim declined to talk to him.
To refuse drink preferred by ruffian was some
times dangerous in the extreme, though it must be
said that few made experiments In that direction
| In Southern California tue MeIcSns and native
Csifonisns, 40 they were called, evincod strong
criminal tendency. Several bands of briRands, in
GLIDING that of the notorious Joaquin Murieta were
organized and deprecated in that part OF the State
and gave great trouble 10 the settlers, who retail
ated bv killing tho thieves at every opportunity aud
/ finally organized and virtually anpihilated them
| From the first and not only in California, but in
Nevada, Montana, Utah. Idaho. Arizona, and New
Mexico. IL vas found that the criminal elements
| souaht alliances and combinations with corrupt
officials Almost always it was the failure and ia
grant failure of the administrative machinery that
drove the people to Lynch law. For example,
| man committed murder He had money. He cor
rupted the Prosecuting Attorney and the Judge.
The one enterd nolle prosequi the osher ordered
his discharge Then the Prosecuting Attorney alb
seconded and the Judge resigned. 1t is true the muir